The Arab Group for the Protection of Nature (APN) is a Jordanian organization based in Amman. It claims to focus on protecting natural resources in Arab countries. However, in practice, most of his activity is in Israel, and it seeks to take over Israeli territory by planting millions of trees.
The organization has set up a comprehensive project called “A Million Trees in Palestine” and through it seeks to take over territories in Jerusalem, the Jordan Valley and Judea and Samaria.
The organization’s data shows that it donated 2,434,452 trees. Most of the trees were donated to Gaza, then Hebron, Bethlehem, Jenin, Tulkarm and Jerusalem.
The organization’s representative in the Palestinian Authority is Ibrahim Amin Mantsara, who lives in Bethlehem. He said in an interview that they opened an office to “strengthen ties with the Palestinians” in July 2019 and their goal is to “cultivate land within the settlements.”
He also talked about the organization’s cooperation with the terrorist Razeq Salah, who murdered an IDF soldier, was sentenced to life imprisonment, and was released after 21 years in 2013 as part of an Israeli show of goodwill to PA head Mahmoud Abbas.
According to data from the Im Tirzu watchdog’s Arab Research Division, tens of thousands of trees have been planted throughout Israel in recent months.
Some 37,000 fruit trees were planted in the Jordan Valley, where Israeli sovereignty was expected to be declared according to President Donald Trump’s Deal of the Century.
In addition, 8,000 trees were planted in the area of Beit Iksa in the Jerusalem area, and 3,000 trees in the Arab village of Bedu near Jerusalem. Another 500 trees were planted in Salfit, south of the city of Ariel, and special emphasis was placed on the areas of the Jordan Valley, Bethlehem and Hebron.
Matan Peleg, chairman of the Im Tirzu movement, called on the Israeli government to “stop this phenomenon of silent land seizure that is being waged against Israel in Judea and Samaria.”
“Until now we thought that the majority of silent land grabs are being perpetrated by the Palestinian Authority through illegal construction, but now we understand that the problem runs far deeper and is being perpetrated on a wider level by this Jordanian NGO through the planting of trees,” he explained.
“We are calling on the Israeli government to demand clarification from the Jordanian government. This subversion cannot be tolerated,” he added.